A new MasterCard Worldwide index ranks Vancouver as one of the top 50 cities in the world to do business.
Vancouver finished 28th out of 50 cities on a scale that evaluates a city's ability to promote global commerce. The index included legal and political frameworks, economic stability, ease of doing business, capital accessibility, education and transportation among the 111 indicators used to rank the cities on the list.
According to the index, Vancouver ranked as the third most attractive city for setting up and starting a business and seventh in terms of commercial real estate development.
Overall for Canadian cities, Toronto and Montreal ranked 12th and 27th respectively on the index.
Globally, London ranked as the top city for global commerce because of its flexible operating business environment, strong global financial connections and exceptionally high levels of international trade. New York finished second.
The index was compiled from research by a panel of eight independent economic, urban development and social science experts and academics from around the world, including Laurice Levi, UBC professor of international finance.